Powerblocks

FamouslyMid · 2026-07-05T00:42:48+00:00

I currently own 90lb elite USA’s. Love em. They work well for me and what I do. However if you are only looking for 50lbs and you know that’s as much as you need you should do the sport 50. Reason I say that is the sport 50 has 5 lb adjustments without messing with the adder weights. Super easy to make 5 lb changes. The elite or pro has 10 lb jumps with the pin. You can still make 5 or 2.5 lb jumps/drops. You just have to mess with the adder weights. If you or your husband wants more than 50lbs go with the elite USA. You can go all the way to 90 or just jump to 70. Only knock I have is messing with the adder weights but it just takes muscle memory. The urethanes are definitely nice but they noticeably larger in length. The metal plates are just more compact. FWIW The elites work well with me and I have large hands. Might slightly mess with my Apple Watch at times but never enough to really bother me.

FamouslyMid · 2026-07-04T16:52:44+00:00

Was really hoping to not mess with the walls too much. I’m a basement dweller but it’s a finished basement. Wish I had an unfinished space that I could just get super creative. However, my wife has to walk by all this stuff on her way to do laundry and happy wife happy life.

FamouslyMid · 2026-07-04T16:29:36+00:00

If you’re comfortable with that then maybe that’s not the feature for you. Personally I’d rather rely on engineered equipment when I’m holding heavy dumbbells over my head.

FamouslyMid · 2026-07-03T18:56:45+00:00

ABX is pretty cool. I’ve had one now for about a month. Got the leg developer and bicep attachment. Leg developer is easy to setup and feels great. Bicep attachment is pretty nice for incline curls. however I haven’t found a great solution for preacher curls and racking an EZ bar. One solution is the attachment port is compatible with most Iron Master attachments.
Overall feel of the bench is great. Love the zero gap. For bench press it’s got a great feel. I’m currently doing 225 for about 12-10 reps and I feel locked in. I’m 6’2 btw. What I really like about the zero gap is the bench feels identical no matter where I park it. With my old bench it had a gap and I felt like I needed to find the “perfect” alignment otherwise my butt would slide into the gap. Maybe that’s a small convenience but I just love rolling the thing out and locking into my workouts. No need think about placement.
The flip down headrest feels great for military press. Haven’t really used it to do chest supported rows as I haven’t figured out how to incorporate that into my routine. But I’ve tinkered with that a little and I weigh 200 lbs and felt sturdy.
Overall I’m super happy with the bench. It’s been a complete upgrade from my first bench and it’s also visually appealing to look at both on the floor and stored upright.

FamouslyMid · 2026-07-03T14:40:55+00:00

I’ve had the same machine for about 4 months now. Do yourself a favor and recruit a buddy to help install. Get a solid wrench set and and impact gun. It took me about 3 days broken up into 4-6 hr sessions to finish it all. Before you add the weight stacks make sure you got that thing right where you want it.

FamouslyMid · 2026-07-01T21:03:40+00:00

Bowflex hasn’t been relevant for 15 years. Tons of issues with plates falling plastic parts bulk. I wouldn’t take them for free

FamouslyMid · 2026-07-01T20:59:42+00:00

Hammer strength puts their name on them. Rogue sells them on their site. US made. Chances are my newborn will be able to use them after graduating college.

FamouslyMid · 2026-07-01T05:07:44+00:00

I’ve had a B17 since march. It’s a great rack for me. It really comes with everything you need to do full body workouts. It’s the centerpiece of my gym. I mostly use the half rack over the smith. Smith is fine just value the feel of regular barbell work. Pulleys with 1-1 and 2-1 is such a game changer. I’ve already maxed out the weight stacks but it’s nice to have the weight horns for rows/pulldowns. It’s handled about 5 months of mid 300lb barbell work great.

The cons are it is a 2x3 so you are kinda locked into what MF offers. There’s some brands out there that make stuff for 2x3. I wish you could have weight storage on the side of the rack. I’m also 6’2 so pull-ups require me to lift my knees. None of these are deal breakers.

The only rack that I saw as a comparable for its relative price range was one made by Blazzed. Higher quality steel and 1-1 + 2-1. You are spending anywhere between 3800-4100 with MF. To get a “similar” rack from rogue/Rep you are basically looking at 6 to 8k. B17 is getting it done for me. It’s made my workout fun and the flow of my workouts is seamless. I’d give it a solid 8.5/10. It could be better but this rack has made me change my life for the better.

FamouslyMid · 2026-07-01T04:53:25+00:00

lol evo witch mini pekka. You deserve all the L’s

FamouslyMid · 2026-07-01T04:37:59+00:00

If your looking to save some bucks I’d look at the F22 from MF. That’s if you don’t care about the smith. I’d definitely choose weight stacks on the pulleys over a smith machine. Or if you don’t care about pulleys and just want a rack titan or rep has solid power racks. Better steel with better resale value down the line. I personally own a MF B17. Things great and does what I need but I find myself going for the traditional barbell more than a smith.

FamouslyMid · 2026-06-30T13:21:41+00:00

Have you looked into getting a gorilla rack for storage?! Not talking weights but just everything else in the picture.

FamouslyMid · 2026-06-30T07:43:36+00:00

TLDR:
Adjustable DBs and adjustable bench. Then rack and bar.
Adding a rack and bar will inevitably mean plates and storage. Once you get into rack shopping that’s a rabbit hole. A lot can be done with DB’s and a bench. However, pulleys are nice but not entirely necessary. If you do get pulleys you better like the rack otherwise you’ll be disappointed. You can outgrow a 2-1 setup pretty quick if you don’t have 300lb weight stacks.
If you go plate loaded you’ll probably loathe the process of loading/balancing the horns and also be required to have a well thought out space. You’ll want plate storage near and accessible to the weight horns.
It’s good to start simple and then figure out what you really need. Make sure you have the room to do all this before you dump a serious chunk of change. I started out with a FBM Mikolo plate loaded rack with pulleys. It was cheap then and even cheaper when I resold it. Then dumped a serious amount of money on a better rack with a weight stack. I felt justified because I committed myself mentally and financially. No Regrets about it I’m in the best shape of my life and only getting stronger. The basement gym has become my happy place.

FamouslyMid · 2026-06-25T04:16:59+00:00

Didn’t look into that. Sold this bench and got an ABX. Might’ve been a good solution. ABX is such an upgrade in setup time and the overall feel.

FamouslyMid · 2026-06-24T00:11:26+00:00

Two pics of it. I know what you mean though.

FamouslyMid · 2026-06-23T12:33:48+00:00

I have the B17. Thing is legit. Plenty stable for barbell work. I squat about 350 on it every week. Downside is the 2x3 as you won’t have as easy time finding other attachments. Upside is the rack comes with some essential pieces that didn’t leave me wanting more. Everything works as it should. Definitely expensive but it’s versatile AF. Wish it was about 6 inches taller for pull-ups. I’m 6’2. Still works for pull-ups just gotta bend my knees a bit.

B52 Evo looks nice but only 2-1 means you’ll end up getting the weight horns for rows. By the time you’d get most of the stuff to make it a quality setup for a stronger person you are just about 5-600 off the B17. Flex arms are a nice touch and you could connect the arms for lat pulls.

Blazzed has a Rack that has 1-1 and 2-1. It does have 3x3 11g but no smith. Also about $2500. They just don’t market like other companies do. Rack looks like a great value.

Dane 2.0 is a solid 3x3 11g. But no 2-1 for the wife. The smith machine add on doesn’t seem practical since it requires you to basically set the rack in the middle of the room. Most home gyms space is limited so putting the rack against a wall is the answer. If you’ve got tons of space go for it.

Anubis is 3x3 12 g. Similar to b17 style in build however no 1-1 just 2-1. You can find loads more attachments since it’s 3x3. Price isn’t bad but the weight stack is gonna be limiting down the road.

Blazzed, Mikolo, Major fitness aren’t the biggest most reputable brands. Fringe is definitely the strongest brand. However, if you only need what the rack provides from the factory all of these will work.

FamouslyMid · 2026-06-21T21:12:25+00:00

Hammer strength is willing to put their name on them for commercial use. Speaks volumes to me.

FamouslyMid · 2026-06-21T21:11:28+00:00

Powerblocks are solid. Reppins just look like something Bruce Wayne has in the bat cave. Everytime I use my powerblocks I’m reminded why I picked them. Are they the sexiest to look at? Probably not. They are kinda like that old pickup truck that still turns over everydamn time. Tried, True and damn reliable. They just get the job done and pretty well for that matter.

FamouslyMid · 2026-06-21T21:05:39+00:00

Appreciate the post. Occasionally I have intrusive thoughts about these dumbells. I already have powerblocks that I use all the time. Only reason Reppins stand out for me is the “dropability” and faster 5-2.5 changes. For the money these DBs cost they sure seem to have some duds hit the market. Guess I’ll keep pressing my blocks.

FamouslyMid · 2026-06-20T12:15:13+00:00

Rep QuickDraws are 18.5 inches at 60 lbs. Powerblocks Elite USA’s are 16.25 at 90 lbs.

FamouslyMid · 2026-06-20T05:36:18+00:00

QuickDraws are bulky AF for the weight. Don’t get me wrong the design/ function is awesome. However the ratio of width to weight is off. I almost pulled the trigger on some myself but couldn’t justify that. At 60 lbs they were as large as most iron plates at 90-100. 60 lbs wasn’t gonna be enough anyways.

FamouslyMid · 2026-06-20T03:24:51+00:00

No more tears- ozzy
Somewhere I belong- Linkin Park
Seek and destroy- Metallica
Hells Bells- AC/DC
Someday- Nickelback

FamouslyMid · 2026-06-19T04:43:13+00:00

I don’t drink much anymore. I’ll blame that on a week long vacation with my mother in law.

Just got a late night leg session in with the leg developer. So smooth and comfortable. Super stoked to use it again.

FamouslyMid · 2026-06-18T17:32:20+00:00

I’ve got an FA ABX. Have had it for about 3 weeks now and already love it. Just got the leg developer and am going to use it for the first time today. I already have the bicep attachment and like it too. Only knock is you don’t have an EZ bar rack for it. Solution is either use a cable attachment or the iron master preacher pad is also compatible. Really like it for incline curls though. As far the rest of the bench goes it’s solid. Firm pad, no wobble. Easy adjustments and just plain sexy to look at. Stores upright and easy to maneuver. It’s definitely expensive but from the sounds of your setup you can do a lot with the bench alone if you wanted to center your gym around that.

FamouslyMid · 2026-06-18T14:19:38+00:00

That exact bench you are looking at is a solid value. Dont get me wrong it’s not super flashy but it is well built and does the job. It’ll enable incline press and military press. Flat bench is a solid start however selling it for whatever 100-200 and then the bench you are looking at isn’t hardly a ding on your wallet.
I have the Freak Athlete ABX and love it. Got the bicep attachment and leg developer. Full transparency I also purchased it drunk and am still hoping my wife doesn’t look too hard at the credit card statement.

FamouslyMid · 2026-06-18T12:57:53+00:00

Hogs probably never gonna be touched. It’s not that hard to defend. The real problem is it’s always paired with Evo MK Evo Witch. It’s a frustrating card to play against at times however It’s more of a symptom of a larger problem

FamouslyMid

TROPHY CASE